a bit of Real Madrid news

It’s been a silent few days, due to the mini-break and the closed training sessions.

ONE. More from Pepe’s interview with Marca – the second part ran today. The only parts I found interesting were when he was asked about his teammates:

Pepe on the team (when asked if the Spaniards and the Portuguese keep to separate sides in the locker room): I get along very well with Iker, Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa… there’s no division in the locker room. We’re a very united team and we want to win. Our locker room is reinforced, no one can get in.

on Ricky Carvalho: he brings a lot to the team. I have the opportunity to play with him on the national team and with Madrid. We’ve talked a lot about how this club is, what the demands are, and that made it easier. His experience is good for us.

on Di María: his performance has surprised me, because he came from a less competitive league and he’s adapted perfectly. He’s young and he has a lot of desire to win. In his first year in Portugal, he was criticized for how he played. In his last two years, he learned a lot and it shows. He’s scored important goals.

on Özil: out of all the teammates I’ve had, he is, after Guti, the one that has the best vision. He’s like Guti. He has a lot of quality. I’m sure he’s going to become one of the best in the world.

on Adebayor: he’s surprised me a lot. Against Espanyol, he worked his ass off. He was, along with Cristiano and Marcelo, the best out there. He came from Manchester City with a lot of hunger to triumph.

on seeing Kaká on the bench: it’s difficult for a player of his status. But he knows that he just returned from a complicated injury and his recovery takes time. He played very well in his last game and he knows he has a coach that is protecting him. In addition, there’s a player in his position who is doing very well. We’re a group and above all individual interests are those of the group. Kaká is very intelligent, he knows this and I’m sure he’ll contribute a lot to us with his quality.

TWO. The Crackòvia take on the Espanyol-Madrid game (no time to translate, but it’s pretty easy to understand):

They also did a Cristiano Ronaldo Valentine’s Day skit, but I didn’t think it was funny.

THREE. Club news: the club will present “Real Madrid, the best club in the world” (modest, aren’t they?), an audiovisual history of the club today at the Bernabéu. Alfredo di Stéfano, Jorge Valdano and Iker Casillas will be there in their capacities as honorary president, general director and captain, respectively.

FOUR. Notes on Copa del Rey tickets: Madrid received 20,000 tickets for the final (to be held at the Mestalla), and according to Marca, the players have requested 50 tickets each for the final (which totals 1,200, and if you add to that those for the technical staff, the final figure is 1,500). Since that is quite a high amount, the club may deny the request and assign a lower number for each player. In addition, Mou intends to invite Juanfran and MFC, the two canteranos who have participated in the Copa, to the final, so some tickets should go their way as well. Also according to the article, the players also trade tickets amongst themselves, meaning that Manolito Adebayor may soon become the most popular guy in the dressing room, as he theoretically has less demand for the tickets, being new and all.

FIVE. Notes from the training session: Sergio Canales was congratulated on his 20th birthday by all his teammates, and MFC Álvaro Borja Morata Martín trained with the big boys yesterday. Meanwhile, Castilla played a friendly against RMC, with the older team winning 4-2. Castilla won’t be playing this weekend after their rival Cerro Reyes withdrew from the match.

SIX. Castilla’s Álex Fernández (one of the pre-season five) was interviewed by Madrid’s site yesterday. He made the jump to Castilla this season (bypassing RMC, along with MFC, Sarabia and Carvajal) after leading Juvenil A to league and Copa de España titles last season. Here are the highlights:

on what the club teaches you: they teach you to never give up and to defend this shirt to the death. Every coach teaches you to fight in every single minute of every single game.

on starting with the Infantil A team: I remember that season fondly. It’s very difficult, because you have to work a lot and it requires a great sacrifice from you and your parents. The best memories were my family’s joy and forming part of this club, where my brother also plays. I had hoped that one day we would be able to play together. And that dream came true this year on the second team of Real Madrid.

on making the move to Castilla: it was a big jump and the adaptation was difficult, because the game goes much faster since you play against older rivals with a lot of experience.

on his former Juvenil A teammates and current Castilla teammates Carvajal, Sarabia and Morata: Carvajal is a lung, and the best rightback in Spain at his age. He’s tireless and a great teammate. I’ve played with him for many years and he’s more than a teammate, he’s a friend. Sarabia is pure quality, and possibly the best player in the cantera. He brings quality and vision to Castilla. Playing with him in the midfield is an honor for me. Morata, with all that he’s done with the first team and Castilla, needs no introduction. He’s a forward with a lot of goal scoring ability and ambition. I’m sure that in the future he’ll be a forward on the first team, like Raúl was.

on the pre-season: debuting with the first team was a dream come true. Playing with footballers such as Cristiano or Kaká is the greatest thing that can happen to a madridista, and more so for a player like me, one that has been one since I was small. I thank José Mourinho and Aitor Karanka for the confidence they had in me.

on Mourinho: he tells all of us canteranos that if we’re there with the first team, it’s because we can do it. He treats us like anyone else, without differences. It’s wonderful that he gives you this confidence and normality when you’re training with the first team.

on his brother Nacho: he’s been an example for me, both on and off the field. I’m very happy to have realized one of my dreams, to play with my brother in Real Madrid.

Go watch the video here – at one point, Álex says “este escudo, para siempre” except you don’t really hear him say the first syllable of the word “escudo” (crest) so it kind of comes out as “este culo, para siempre” (culo means ass).

Fifty tickets each? That seems excessive to me. I hope their request gets turned down; let those tickets go to the fans. And if their entourages, second cousins, friends-of-a-friend want to go, they can buy tickets just like everybody else. (Sorry, I have issues with the luxuries lavished on celebrities…)